“If you were coming back to the party, what have you been doing all this whole time? Did one of your dicks grow wings in there?”
The boys shared a concerned look, and she rolled her eyes. Yeah right! Nothing that happened in there could be that surprising. They were just trying to avoid her, or the party, or Gigi. Or all three.
“No, we didn’t grow wings anywhere.” The way Jasper said the last word, drawing attention to her mention of their man parts, had her skin prickling, but she ignored it. “We were talking about this.”
And then Logan leaned forward, capturing her lips with his.
It took a full fifteen seconds for Riley to process she was being kissed, and another fifteen to realize it was Logan doing the kissing. Logan, her best friend. Logan who used to love to leave dead frogs in her lunchbox just to see her scream. It was Logan’s mouth pressed against hers. His hands cradled her face. The smell of him, of the sweetness and bourbon and his aftershave, tickled her nose.
When his tongue flicked across her lower lip, her whole body shook, and a switch deep inside flipped. All the weird, quivery feelings disappeared at the touch of his tongue across hers.
Her body acted automatically. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tugging him closer, holding on tight as her knees quaked. She opened her mouth, allowing his tongue inside. He groaned against her lips, his hands traced down her body. Over her shoulders, along her back, sending tingles of awareness shooting along her spine. A soft moan echoed from her as his hands cupped her ass. She didn’t have time to think about how weird it was that Logan cupped her butt. That Logan squeezed her ass cheeks. The brush of his tongue across hers filled her with heat from the inside and out. Her nipples hardened against his chest, sending a shiver of need racing through her and settling in her stomach.
How could this be her best friend? Kissing her? Making her hotter than she’d been in a long time? She’d wonder how this was possible, but it clearly was. It was happening right now.
She was only dimly aware of another groan filling the room, the second set of harsh pants coming from not far away. She’d almost completely forgotten anyone else was in the room, until another set of hands glided up her side.
She focused on breathing as strong arms wrapped around her waist, his hands sliding up her stomach, to rest just at the edge of her breasts. His heat burned against her back. Riley tangled her fingers in Logan’s jacket, holding on as her head spun, Jasper’s fingers inching closer to her breasts than he’d ever been before. It should feel strange to have one of her best friend’s hands on her breasts. Yet just like Logan, it didn’t feel weird. It felt natural, easy, good.
“My turn,” he growled in her ear, sending a whole new set of tingles through her body.
What? Jasper wants a turn, too? What the hell was going on here? She’d never expected in her whole life she’d be kissed by one of these men. Now she was going to lock lips with both of them—on the same night. What the hell was in those damn Blitzen drinks? Clearly they’d all been drugged. That was the only explanation for this insanity.
Logan eased his mouth from hers, unwrapping his hands from her ass. “Go ahead, buddy.” Her eyes opened, blinking up at him as his heat evaporated from her skin. His lips were wet and slightly sparkled, which she realized was from the lipstick Victoria forced on her. Proof, written across his face in silvery sparkles, that she hadn’t dreamed it. She’d kissed Logan. Kissed him so hard the glitter spread across every inch of mouth.
She barely had a second to register how upset she was about the lack of Logan’s body next to hers, and even less time to think about how odd it was she missed his hands on her, before Jasper turned her around and pressed his lips to hers.
Unlike Logan, Jasper didn’t go straight for the prize. He romanced her lips, offering her little pecks and nibbles and licks, so when he finally sought her mouth, she opened for him gladly. She wrapped her arms around him, desperately clinging to him as his tongue ventured inside.
Their kissing styles were so like their personalities. Logan was fast and impulsive, while Jasper was methodical and deliberate. She’d never worried for a second they couldn’t make their ranch successful. They were a great team, each of them bringing a different set of skills to the table. She’d just never thought she’d be the focus of their teamwork.
Jasper’s hands cupped her hips, towing her close. Their middles pressed together. The hard bulge beneath his belt buckle brushed against her stomach, sending rivers of heat rushing through her. His lips drank in her moans, sucking down her pleasure like it was as necessary to him as breathing.
Every brush, every touch, was an out-of-body experience. This whole thing was insane. Her brain and body were on two different levels. Her brain couldn’t stop questioning, but her body had a decidedly different idea. And her body won out. With no other good options, she might as well give in to the experience. Either way she was kissing Jasper. Soft and sweet versus full-on crazy wouldn’t make much difference at this point. Either way the damage was done.
Riley threaded her fingers through the hair at Jasper’s nape, twisting the strands through her fingers until he growled. The sound vibrated against her lips, sending tingles through her body. She slipped her tongue into his mouth, tasting his essence and the sweetness of their cocktails on his lips. Yet somehow from his tongue those drinks didn’t taste that bad. After experiencing the flavor from his lips, she was almost ready to run to the bar and order another. But that would require her to move away from him, and she wasn’t going to do that. Not anytime soon.
When Jasper pulled back, she fought the urge to cry out or grab his lapels and tug his mouth back to hers. Her lips felt naked without the touch of his or Logan’s against them. “I hope that clears up a few things.” The corners of Jasper’s lips turned up, but his eyes remained focused on her mouth. Her lips burned beneath his gaze, the heat spreading slowly downward.
She fought back a giggle. The kind of girly giggle she would have made fun of Gigi for releasing. “That must have been one hell of a talk you two had.”
Masculine laughter filled the room. “It was,” Logan mumbled into her hair before kissing her temple. The sweetness of the gesture revved her higher.
“One we should have had a long time ago.” Jasper traced his hands up and down her sides. Every once and a while his thumb would graze the side of her breast, causing her to suck in a deep breath as need and anticipation spiraled through her.
“We should have done all that a long time ago.” Jasper’s big wolfish grin said more than his words ever could.
She completely agreed.
“There’s still more to come.” Logan kissed her neck, coasting his lips up to her jaw. The angle forced her head up, her eyes staring directly into Jasper’s. The heat in their depths threatened to fry her on the spot.
“Really?” She wasn’t sure what she expected next. She probably shouldn’t be surprised they’d wanted to do more than kiss her, but she was. Her brain couldn’t focus beyond the current moment. Anything in the future was just a blurry haze.
“Of course. Do you think you could kiss us like that and we wouldn’t want more?”
He made a good point. And she wanted more, too. What that meant exactly, she wasn’t sure, but she couldn’t deny it either. Her body practically hummed, pulsing with energy. Desire twisted up inside her hot and thick, more than could ever be satisfied with a vibrator alone. Lord knows she’d tried enough times to know.
“Are you ready to get out here?”
She didn’t know if he meant the room or the party. But since the answer was the same, she didn’t bother to get clarification. “Yes.” She sucked in a deep breath at the huge smiles that spread across their faces. “But we can’t go to my place. With my dad…”
“Of course,” Jasper brushed her cheek. A trail of heat followed beneath his soft touch. “We’ll go to our place. If you’re okay with that?”
She nodded. She didn’t know what she was okay with and what s
he wasn’t anymore. The whole world was upside down. But now all the cards were on the table, she didn’t have another choice but to play. And play she would. To the best of her ability. For as long as she could.
Chapter Four
The ride back to their house was quiet. Normally the three of them always had something to talk about. Whether it was the horses on Logan and Jasper’s property, or the new seasons of lambs at the Willis Farm. Or even just the gossip around town. But tonight, no one said a word. The tension in the car so thick it could be cut with a knife.
Worries and fears whizzed through Riley’s mind like flies, determined to annoy her into listening, demanding she pay attention to them and ignore the other sensations rushing through her body. The feel of Jasper’s leg pressed against hers, the whisper of Logan’s breath against her neck as they jammed together on the front bench of his truck. It would be the smart thing to do. And most of the time Riley was a very smart girl.
But tonight she didn’t want to be smart. She didn’t want to be practical or logical. For the last year she couldn’t think of one day she hadn’t done the right thing, the responsible thing, and she was sick of it. For one night, she just wanted to be Riley. Not Riley the farm girl, Riley the ranch hand, Riley the businesswoman. But Riley the woman. The woman these two amazing men desired.
Was one night really too much to ask?
Jasper pulled the truck into the driveway of their ranch, easing the vehicle into park. Yet none of them moved. They just sat together, staring straight ahead toward the house. The silence lengthened between them, each waiting for another to make the first move. The tension coiled around her, tightening her muscles until she wanted to jump right out of her skin.
Were they rethinking inviting her here? The thirty-minute car ride was more than enough time to have second thoughts about what they were doing. Lord knows she’d had them, and thirds and fifteens. Yet no matter how many times she turned this crazy thought around in her head, she always came to the same conclusion. Life was too damn short. If she’d learned anything in the last year, it was that circumstances could change at any moment, and insane or not, she’d take the moments she could get while she could.
Releasing a deep breath, Logan finally broke the silence. “Let’s get inside before we freeze to death.” He grabbed the door handle, sliding down the seat toward the exit. “I’m sure we can think of something better to do inside.” He winked at her, before throwing open the car door and stepping out. On her other side Jasper opened his door and strode out in the yard. The snow crunched beneath their feet.
“Come here, sweetheart.” Jasper turned back to her, holding out his hands as if to catch her, though she wasn’t close to falling. “I’ll carry you inside.”
“You can’t be serious?” Riley had never had a man want to carry her anywhere before, and wasn’t sure what to make of it. Indignation raged with confused concern. “I’m perfectly capable of walking to the house myself.”
Jasper stared down at her shoes then toward the snow at his feet, before glancing back at her. “Really?”
Riley crossed her arms over her chest, hating how he was right. It had snowed last night, blanketing Frostbite Falls in a thick layer of fluffy white flakes. On any normal night it wouldn’t have bothered her. She would have stamped right out into the driveway and up the stairs to their front door. A few inches of snow meant nothing to a Montana girl. But on a normal day she’d be wearing her sensible rubber-soled boots, and not these glittery three-inch heels.
At the best of times, with a fully shoveled and maintained driveway, she wasn’t sure she could have walked to the house in these torture devices without help or a gruesome fall. She probably would have tried. But from the three inches of snow still covering every surface of their property, she didn’t see any way to even attempt it.
But still something about letting him carry her felt scary and intimate, in a way kissing him and sitting next to him hadn’t. Like they’d found another line that their relationship was about to cross. Another barrier that, if they treaded over, they’d never come back from.
“Are you sure you can hold me?” She glanced at the snow again. The only break in the icy surface were the ruts from their tires and the holes from their steps. The last thing she needed was for him to slip in the snow while carrying her.
Jasper stared at her, one of his eyebrows raised in challenge. “I take that as a personal insult. I haul bales of hay and bags of feed all day long. I can handle a slip of girl like you.”
“I do that, too.” Riley lifted her chin, staring down at him with as much indignation as she could gather.
“Next time I’m stranded in the car in my heels, you can carry me into the house.”
“I can’t wait for that day.” She humphed.
Jasper smiled, “Me neither, sweetheart. Now come on, let’s go inside. My balls are going to freeze off if we stay out here much longer. And I had a much better plan for them tonight.”
She sighed, but resigned, she shifted to the edge of the seat. Pushing an arm under her knees and another around her back, he lifted her off the seat like she weighed no more than a feather. Which she most certainly did.
With all the hard ranch work, Riley had never struggled with her weight. She never had to watch what she ate or go to Pilates class. The manual labor of her job was enough to keep her lean. But as much as she never had to worry about packing on fat, she wasn’t light either. Every inch of her body was as muscular as the guys’, and just as heavy.
He pulled her close, leaning her against his chest, and she automatically wrapped her arms around his neck. If asked she would say it was for stability, but the truth was it just felt good. Just like leaning her head against his shoulder and breathing in the smell of leather and hay and man that was Jasper.
Even through layers of coats and clothes, heat radiated off him, enveloping her from ear to ankle. Her toes were still a bit chilly though the thin heels. His strong arms held her tight, never allowing her a second to question he could handle her weight. She might have been scared about this mode of travel, but she certainly hadn’t considered the perks. Like not getting cold, or wet, or rubbing more blisters onto her feet.
With his elbow, Jasper shut the truck door, before heading toward the house. He walked up the driveway at a normal leisurely pace, as if he was in no rush to put her down. But that was probably just wishful thinking. He was just trying to be careful and not slip with her in his arms. But still she let herself enjoy the possibility, and the feeling of being held.
The front steps creaked under Jasper’s feet, no doubt not used to the amount of weight being put on them. She’d have to remind them to check those soon. Losing the steps to rot or decay could pose a huge problem.
Having run to the house ahead of them, Logan held the door open, waiting just inside. The warmth of the indoors reached out to her through the cold winter air, pulling her inside. A few short steps and Jasper reached the door, holding her close as he ducked under the low farmhouse threshold with her in his arms.
“See, that wasn’t so bad.”
Riley rolled her eyes. “I never said it would be bad.” She wasn’t sure what she’d been scared of. If she tried she doubted she could even form the emotion into words. That summed up a lot of what she was feeling tonight.
“No, you said I couldn’t do it.” Jasper scowled at her, but he didn’t put her down. Instead he continued to hold her in his arms, keeping her pressed against his chest. And beside a passing concern for his biceps, she didn’t see a reason to argue. He was warm and comfy to lean against. And her feet were killing her from wearing those damn heels all night.
“All right, you win. I, Riley Willis, admit for the record and all present. Jasper Monroe is more than strong enough to carry a girl twenty feet.”
He smiled at her, the bright twinkle in his eyes almost stealing her breath away. “That’s better.”
He lowered her feet first to the wooden floors, helping her find her foo
ting before he stepped back. She fought the urge to whimper at her release. After complaining so much about his hold, she shouldn’t be complaining about finally being free. But she was. She’d gotten pretty used to her perch, his warm skin pressed against hers, and she loathed to give it up.
Cold enveloped her, and she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep as much of Jasper’s heat close while both men removed their jackets and stuck them on the hooks by the door.
She’d been to Jasper and Logan’s home hundreds of times. She knew this place almost as well as she knew her own. Yet tonight everything about it felt foreign. She stood awkwardly by the door, unsure what to do, where to go, or what they expected. Would they want to run right to the bedroom and get down to business? Or would they want to have coffee and relax in the den like they did every other time she came over?
And more frightening, which did she prefer? If they treated her like normal, this crazy attraction between them might just vanish into familiarity, which was the opposite of what she wanted. But being hauled right off to the bedroom didn’t sound appealing either. She might want them more than she could describe, but she couldn’t handle them treating her just like any other girl. She wanted to be more important than that. She needed to be.
Glancing over at them, they appeared just as befuddled as she was, staring at their own furniture like it had morphed in the time they’d been away. They stood beside her, hands at their sides. Neither reached out to touch her. They just stood there, stiff as statues and just as lifelike.
Maybe they’d changed their minds. Maybe they didn’t want her anymore. It had been a crazy idea from the very start. She shouldn’t be surprised they were having second thoughts. And if that was the case, it was best to move on as quickly as possible.
“It’s late, maybe I should go…”
“No. Don’t go.” Logan grabbed her hand, twining his fingers with hers. The touch was so intimate it tugged at something deep in her chest she couldn’t name. “We don’t want you to leave.” Beside him Jasper nodded his head, agreeing with Logan.
Golden Forever [Frostbite Falls Christmas 3] (Siren Publishing Menage Amour) Page 4